Trap-door for grade-level vestibule-cars.



L. F. MCNALLY.

TRAP DOOR FOR GRADE LEVEL VESTIBULE CARS.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 6.1911.

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L. FJMGNALLY.

:TRAP DOOR FOR GRADE LEVEL VESTIBULE CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6' \9l7.-

13, 1918, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l L 3mm/Mio@ WMe/@ff Patented Aug.

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tno r. Meantme` or BROOKLYN, Niiwvcaii, nssicivoa so inaviiii w, rias, cram) sans, new massa taxatie.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, "Lno\FMCNALLr, citizen of the United Stateaand ayresident i of New York,`borough of Brooklyn,` inthe.

county of Kings and yState `of NewYorli,`

have made and invented certain new and` useful Improvements in Trap-Doors for Grade-Level vestibule-Cars, of` whichtlie following is a specification. o .i f y My invention relatesto trapldoors for gradel level vestibule cars,fand" particularly" tothe hinge .supporting mechanism thereforl' In that type of car construction which is referred to above as grade level vestibule cars, the vestibule door upon either side of the car extends below the trap door. `In this construction, in order to open theV vestibule door, `it is necessary forthe trap door` to be lirst raised.i 5 The trap door and hinge supporting mechanism `therefor` must accord` ingly be of such dimensions that ftheycan occupy the space between theend wall ofthe a car andthe vestibule door when the latter i isA in its open position. j On account ofthe limited space `forthe trap doorand raising mechanism, Vit has heretofore been the custom to construct the "raising mechanism in the form of vcoil tension springssecured to a prolongation ofthe hinge mechanism of the door-andthusleave thewhinge ofthe trap door `.unencumbered.` It rhas `been found7 howeverpthat the torsional type ""of spring for. trap doors contains many `Nadvantages over the coiltension spring construction,` especially when it is incorporated in and made a part `of the hinge mechanism, thisconstruc-` tionbeing now almost universally `adopted o for.. elevated platform car "constmiction7 wherein the vestibule doonisyfirstopened and the trapv door `then raised i against `the vestibule door." y l it is according@ ai tbjea efffiyinvntion to construct ,ahingemechaiiism-and associated y parts :for 11 "supporting a trap g door for` grade level `vestibule car` construction wherein the raising mechanism" comprehends the use of a torsional spring which is incorporatedmin and made part lof 'the hinge i A further f object is tofprdvidje Yhinge mechanism for grade level trap doors `which is of strong and compact designandjwherein the torsional spring @is locked in its adjusted position and `so held regardless of the severe i construction 1 speciiicaiiqn of Letiesraieat i Patent@ Ausg 1319 `191`8 Application niet Junge," 191i. scarsamente. i jarring and jolting `ofthe `car.` Myl irnproved `design further contemplates the use t ofneiv and efiicient supporting brackets and associated Iparts for pivotallysecuring the" easilyfand quickly removed for inspection,

`replaced if broken by accident," and` 1when assembled "andforming hinge support for the door,` capable `of rendering long and sat-` isfactoryfservice, i so that the trap door Awill always open in an easy and ready manner regardless `of the severe service and varyingI atmospheric conditions to which it is necesi Sarlycxposcd. o y x y i y .o With these and `other objects in view, and with the aim to comply with the various :standards of the llfasterlflari Builders? Asso` ciation concerning car construction, my inventionv resides in the "combination and o ar`- rangement of" parts and" in` the details of claimed.

hereinafter described` l" The preferred"embodimentlof myinvenfA ings," where-ini t "Figurel is aview` in top plan ofthe trap door in its closed position, and with the `ac-` conipanying parts `of the car represented in horizontal section, alsoportions of the hinge mechanism being broken away so as to more clearly showthedetails thereof; o Iig.` `2` is ya fragmental viewin side elevation of the vestibule door of a car,` with por-` tions thereof broken away to more clearly depict my improvedhinge mechanism upon which the trap` door is `mounted gf tion isdisclosed in the accompanying dra`w` x Fig. 3 `is aview invertical section taken i t on the line'B-#S of Fig. 1, illustrating my improved hinge mechanism for gradelevel trapdoorconstruction; o y l Figy is a view in vertical section taken on ltli`eli`i1e`4|r+lofFig. 3, illustrating the i.

adjusting inechanisin,` for the' torsional l 10c springt; u i. i i i .i o i. `figizt is a view invertical section taken on the linew5s`5 fof- Fig.` 3, showing the def tails -of"yaconstruction` of the pivotal support w i for one eitremityofthetrap door; a 1 Fig. `6 is] vertical sectional view taken on the lined-6 of Fig. 3; i i Fig. 'Tis a View in vertical section taken `ontheline'if-foi? Fig. l; and o i the' arralngementgand construction being:

Fig. S'is a view in perspective'of the adjusting plug which also serves as a pivotal Support for thetrap door. j Y

' Referring specifically to the several` views, a trap door 10 is hingedly secured to the cross-beam 11, while the vestibule' door 12 is.- l

hingedly secured to the upright post 13;

such that as disclosed in Fig. 2, the vestibule door extends below the' out'e'r edge of Vthe trap-.door 10 .and is adapted to open thereagainst after the trap 'door 10 has been raised' to its up'right'position; this particu- V larconstruction and arrangement of parts beingspoken of'as ofthe grade level type,

and isused on' those'cars which do not encounter elevated'. platforms.y Y

A. supporting bracket 14:4

extendingtherethrough, in which is pivoto ally mimiited a supporting member or plug provide for the smooth and free adjustment or rotation, ofthe supporting member. ,Y The i' supporting member is provided intermediate its endswith-I the ratchet teeth 211, which are v yengaged by avpawl 22,ithe latter being pivotally secured within an opening 23 in the bracket `Ybythe pivotpin f2.4.V Thefpawl is Y locked in position'and'the supportingmem- -ber accordingly held-'against rotation by a y lockingmember or screw 25. The trap door 10", a'smore clearly illustrated in Fig. 7, has secured theretoacylindrical casing orV housing 26,` they door itself. projecting-from the housing. or casing in a v radial` manner. The

housingextends over, and is rotatably supportedvv by, the supporting member 16.

The torsional spring 18 contained withinthe housing-26, and has the one-extremity thereof seated within the groove 17 of the supporting member, and theopposite i v end 27v seatswithin a groove 28 contained in T The spring seat is riveted or secured tothe a spring` seat 29,;the. latter being in the form of'a plugv fitting within the housingQG and secured thereto by the vrivets or `bolts 30.

housingV at such point as is consistent with the lengthy of lthe torsional spring 18. Fitting k.within the extremity of the housing, landrigidly secured thereto, is the Apivot ybushing` 31 which contains the pin-receiving opening 32. pivotv bracket 331s secured to the car andsupports the pivot member 345, the extremity of which extends within the opening 82 in the pivot bushing' and 's secured tothe A carand 1s provided withV the-opening 15 mounts the trap door for hinged movement. Inorder to lock the pivot member 34 in position,V a cotter key or other holding. means 35 is fastened to the bracket 33 and extends through the said pivot member.

The housing; with which the trap door is provided, extending radially from the trap door', allows the same to swing upward so as to occupy a position directly above the center line of the pivot member and the supporting member 1G, and occupying as it does a position radialA to the housingk and pivot supports, theY entire construction occupies' aminimum amount of space. In order to properly adjust the spring 18, the pawl locking member 25 is vremoved and a wrench placed upon the head 19 of the supporting member andthe latter forcibly rotated, it being held against: reverse rotation by the pawl 22. After the spring has been properly adjusted so as to raise the trap door in a smooth butA positive manner, the locking membery 25' is again inserted in placeand the pawl locked against displacement and the supporti-ng member' locked in adjusted position. With the parts as thus construct'- ed and arranged, an efficient andl reliable hinge supporting mechanism is provided, and the features and advantages of a torsional spring are incorporated in a grade level trap door construction.

What I claim is 1. In a device, of' the class described, a

Ycylindrical housing; a trap door'carried by said housing; a supporting bracket located adjacent one end of said housing; a removable supporting membersupported by said supporting bracket and extending therefrom, and adapted to provide a pivotal support for one'end ofsaidhousing; a pivot bracket located'adjacent the oth'erend of said cylindrical housing; a removable pivot carried by said pivot bracket and extending therefrom, and adapted to provide a pivotal support for the other end of said housing; means for securing said removable pivot in place relative to said pivot supporting bracket; and a torsionalY spring located within said housing, one end of said spring being connected with said supporting member and the other end thereof being operatively connected with said housing.

2. In a device of the class described, a cylindricalv housing; a trap door carried by said housing; a supporting bracket located adj aeentl one end of said housing; a supportingmember supported by said supporting bracket and extending into one end of said housing, and having a longitudinally extending groove formed in its periphery' and adjacent its inner end; a'pivot bracket located adjacent the other end of said cylindrical housing; a pivot 4carried by said pivot bracket and adapted to provide a pivotal support for the adjacent end of said housing; a spring seat located within said housing and secured thereto, and having a longitudinally extending groove formed in its periphery; and a helical torsional spring located within said housing and theends of which are provided with straight portions "adapted to lie within the grooves aforesaid-of said spring seat and of said supporting member.

3. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical housing; a trap door carried by said housing; a supporting bracket located adjacent one end of said housing; a supporting member supported by said supporting bracket and extending therefrom, and

adapted to provide a pivotal support for one end of said housing; a series of ratchet teeth upon said supporting member inter-` mediate the ends thereof; a pivotally sup- Uopies of this patent `may he obtained for ported pawl carried by said supporting bracket and the free end of which is adapted to engage` said teeth; a locking screw adapted to hold the free end of said pawl in 4engagement with said teeth; means for providing a pivotal support for the other end of said housing; and a torsional spring located within said housing and the ends of which are connected, respectively, with said supporting member and with said housing.

Signed at New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of 7New York, this 5th day of June, A. D. 191

` Lno F. MCNALLY.

five cents eacli, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

